A Vision For the Next 30 Years: Nic Nelson, IRU Executive Director
“What I witnessed was the magic of Idaho’s rivers and a renewed hope that what we truly value most will once again prevail over the short-sighted chase of a fleeting dollar. ”
A couple of days ago I woke up and read the newly released Final EIS on the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska. The FEIS, which contradicts the findings of the previous administration, identifies almost 200 miles of streams and more than 4,600 acres of wetlands that would be impacted…by Phase 1 of the project. Through the NEPA process, nearly 700,000 Americans voiced their opposition to this project, including a vast majority of Alaska residents. However, the FEIS through its inaccuracies, bordering on misinformation, and a lack of a complete analysis on the impact on the greater Bristol Bay ecosystem – home to the most robust sockeye fishery in the world – brings this highly opposed development one step closer to permitting.
What does this have to do with Idaho Rivers United, though? Well, by the time you read this, the fatally flawed and scientifically inaccurate FEIS for the Lower Snake River Dams will have been made public. With it come the recommendations of a continuation of the status quo, a continuation of a path to extinction for Idaho’s anadromous fish. In about a month, Idaho’s own Pebble Mine, the Midas Gold Stibnite project should also have its own DEIS. The expectation for this is much like what is described above. The past month has seen the NEPA act gutted and the authority of the Clean Water Act reduced. Idaho has begun exploring trading away 28,000 acres of land surrounding Payette Lake and several miles of the North Fork of the Payette.
However, this past month, I also saw firsthand two women catch their first ever fish on a fly rod. I witnessed the smile of someone who was introduced to whitewater kayaking for the first time. I listened to a friend talk about the greatest trip he has ever taken down the Bruneau earlier this year, and I made plans for a trip up to the high-country streams and lakes to rekindle my spirit. What I witnessed was the magic of Idaho’s rivers and a renewed hope that what we truly value most will once again prevail over the short-sighted chase of a fleeting dollar.
While it sounds cliché and despite the numerous success stories of IRU over the past 30 years, the need for IRU is now greater than ever. The need for each of YOU, the river advocates, is greater than ever. Our work crosses partisan divides and spans generations.
In his memoir, Cecil Andrus eloquently reinforced how conservation work resonates beyond our present moments and mindsets. He quoted the words that the poet Robert Frost once wrote, "We should not have to care so much, you and I." He continued, “But we do care, and we should. We care about the future of our region, and I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to care about Idaho, and Alaska, and the West and its people, for as long as I have. I remain hopeful that I will be able to pass on to my grandchildren all the pleasures of life in an unspoiled West. Perhaps hope should be replaced by a stronger word. It is a matter of obligation.”
